Just Sit Still and Listen to the Music
by Dolores-the-Dip
Summary: Based off a 1984 comic; Peppermint Patty, Marcie (and Franklin) go to a 'Young People's Concert' and Peppermint Patty falls in love with Peter and the Wolf. PEANUTS characters by Charles M Schulz


Just Sit Still and Listen to the Music

School fieldtrips always fascinated Peppermint Patty and Franklin; Marcie was still scared of fieldtrips but was always dragged along by her best friend if she couldn't fake an illness. This time, there was a new fieldtrip coming up. "Psst, Franklin." Marcie whispered.

"What is it?" he wondered.

"What's the fieldtrip this time?"

"If you're gonna try and get out of this fieldtrip with a stomach ache, I think the teacher said we're gonna go to a…Tiny Tots Concert."

"Concert?"

"You've never been to a concert?"

"No…I LOVE CONCERTS!" the brunette shrieked, causing the freckled tomboy to fall out of her chair in shock.

"I'm awake! The answer's 12!" Peppermint Patty announced, awaking startled.

"Patty!" Franklin scolded.

"We're gonna be going on a fieldtrip, Sir." Marcie explained eagerly, yet Patty caught every word.

"I love fieldtrips; especially to the zoo, the bio dome, the space museum AND the grocery store." Peppermint Patty smiled. "Remember that time?"

"How CAN I forget the first fieldtrip I went on with you, Charles, Sally and Snoopy?"

"If you're being sarcastic, you're not convincing anyone with your act, Marcie."

"I may be excited, Sir, but I'm still deathly scared of fieldtrips."

"I'll say. Your excitement nearly caused my death by heart attack."

_**FIELDTRIP DAY**_

"What the-" Franklin wondered as he saw Marcie scamper towards him anxiously, holding a note in her hand. "What does the note say?" he asked as they climbed onto the bus

"Let's see… 'Have a great day on the fieldtrip, baby. Remember fieldtrips are educational, don't think with your fists and stay close to the freckled boy. Be safe, baby. Love Mom'…I'll be…my mom still doesn't know Peppermint Patty's a girl, Franklin." Marcie realized, showing him the note as Peppermint Patty groaned from the seat behind them. "This is also the second consecutive note."

"I heard that, you two." The freckled girl chimed in.

"And we thought Mrs. Van Pelt was bad with her notes to Linus." Franklin remembered, giggling.

"I fear she gave my mom some tips on making lunches." The bespectacled girl noticed.

Once they reached the concert hall and got assigned their seats, the kids looked around in wonder. "Where's all the action, Marcie?" Peppermint Patty noticed. "I mean, this place is kind of a drag and all but..." then it dawned on her. "You know the sign in front? What do they call this, Marcie? A 'Young People's Concert'?"

Marcie sighed in disbelief, wanting to say something, but was cut off. "How do I know I'm going to like this kind of music?" the questions continued like that for fifteen more minutes without any answers.

"Shh…the conductor is coming out…we're supposed to applaud…" Marcie instructed to her best friend as Franklin rolled his eyes.

"Why? He hasn't done anything yet." Peppermint Patty pointed out. This wasn't her last question. "What kind of a show is this, Marcie? There aren't any pictures…what do we look at?" she asked a few minutes into the concert. "Where're the acrobats? Where're the trapeze artists, tightrope walkers and figure skaters? What about jugglers? Where are the jugglers and the ferocious beasts and-"

"This is a concert, Sir…just listen to the music…" Marcie shushed as Franklin sighed.

"I don't believe this…an auditorium full of people just sitting here listening to music…someone thought he had a good idea, but it'll never go."

"_You're weird, Sir_. This next piece is called 'Pete and the Wolf'." The bespectacled girl smiled to herself before hearing a snapping sound in her right ear. Putting two and two together, she knew who was snapping her fingers joyously. "Don't snap your fingers, Sir…it isn't done at concerts like this…"

"What AM I supposed to do?"

"Just sit still and listen to the music."

"Weird!"

Patty sighed, doubting she'd like the music, but soon being caught up in Peter's adventure to catch the wolf with the bird, duck and cat. Getting amazed by the quarrel between bird and duck as it made her think of her childish fights with Marcie. She giggled as the duck was being eaten by the cat; was shocked when Peter's grandfather was telling him not to go exploring in the big green meadow and cheered the most when the wolf was caught and paraded. Franklin too showed his interest in the music, leaning forward in excitement as if they were watching a movie. No sooner had the movie started than finished, and to Peppermint Patty, it was a perfect melody.

"This is the most beautiful music I've ever heard." Peppermint Patty sniffled happily. "And here all the time I thought classical music was boring…I was mistaken. This is just…wonderful. I never heard anything like it. I owe Marcie an apology" She smiled. "Hey, Marcie…sorry about what I said about classical music and-" the tomboy began before realizing her best friend was sound asleep and snoring. "_How didn't I hear her snoring? Doesn't matter though…_**MARCIE!**" she called out a bit loudly as the bespectacled girl snorted a bit.

"Mm…Sir?" Marcie wondered, still a bit sleepy, but mainly confused.

"The concert's over, Marce." Franklin explained.

Patty could only sulk and slip into her seat. "I can't stand it."

To say the eager tomboy shared no words with Marcie on the bus ride back to school was an understatement. "And then the cat gulped up the duck like this and walked off. It was amazing!" Peppermint Patty rambled to Marcie. "And when Peter caught the wolf, I was the one cheering the loudest; but you didn't hear me cheering because you were asleep." She shamed as Franklin gave a giggle. In a way, she WAS right. "How I could hear anything over you snoring is still a mystery."

_**BACK AT SCHOOL**_

"Yes ma'am, I enjoyed the concert very much…I'm into classical music." The tomboy announced proudly. "Of course, some uncultured types tend to fall asleep, but what can you expect?" she added as a few kids laughed.

"BLEAH!" Marcie sarcastically replied, sticking her tongue out at her best friend.

"Give HER a 'D minus', ma'am…whip HER into shape!" the tomboy reminded before they were all told something. "Aughhhhhhhhhhh!" she cried.

"Karma just bit you, Sir." The bespectacled girl snickered.

_**THAT EVENING**_

"It was a 'Young People's Concert', Chuck…you know, get the kids acquainted with good music…" Peppermint Patty began, talking on the phone with Charlie Brown. "Anyways, at first I didn't even want to go, but after I heard the music, I thought it was great."

"That sounds great, Peppermint Patty." Charlie Brown smiled on the other end, listening to Schroeder preforming his Beethoven music for Lucy as she giggled.

"So now what happens? Now we have to write a five-hundred word theme on the concert. But I guess that's what education is for, huh, Chuck? To keep us from enjoying ourselves." The tomboy sighed.

"So…you LIKE classical music?"

"I didn't say that, Chuck; I said I like 'Peter and the Wolf'."

"Oh…" he realized, hanging up.

Lucy smiled as she looked over at Schroeder. "Your nose is cute. It reminds me of a button." She flirted before the piano slid away from her. "Musicians NEVER understand compliments."

"My nose looks nowhere near a button, but YOU better button YOUR MOUTH!" Schroeder argued as Charlie sighed.

"Charlie Brown! Charlie Brown!" Franklin called out, holding some stapled papers in his hands. "Check out my theme on the concert my school went to."

"The Fieldtrip, by Franklin Armstrong…I'll look over it." Charlie Brown promised.

"I think you'll like it." He added.

"So, did you like the concert?" Schroeder asked.

"Yeah…it was amazing!"

_**A FEW WEEKS LATER**_

"Marcie, do you LIKE classical music?" Peppermint Patty wondered.

"Why?" Marcie asked.

"I don't know…just curious."

"Yes. But maybe it's because I practice the electric organ and the violin."

"Marcie, when you're older, you SHOULD be a classical musician. You could even be the next Sherbet."

"Schubert, Sir." The younger girl laughed.

"I know ONE THING though." Lucy groaned. "STAY AWAY FROM MY SCHROEDER IF YOU'RE A CLASSICAL MUSIC FANATIC, MARCIE CARLIN!"

"Lucille, you better calm down…" Peppermint Patty sighed in disbelief.

**THE END**


End file.
